Baron Cohen is said to have exited the project over creative difference with the filmmakers and surviving members of Queen, who wanted a more subdued take on Mercury's life than the no-holds-barred portrayal the Borat actor reportedly had in mind.

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe was briefly linked with the project following Baron Cohen's departure, but has now denied such speculation.

Peter Morgan (Rush, Frost/Nixon) is working on a screenplay for the Mercury biopic with input from the surviving members of Queen, while Graham King and Robert De Niro are producing.

The King's Speech and Les Misérables filmmaker Tom Hooper has been linked with the director's chair.

Watch producer Graham King talk to Digital Spy about the project back in 2011 - when Sacha Baron Cohen was still attached - below: